In sports, one thing it is easy to do is look at the opposition’s win-loss record and develop a headcanon of sorts on how a game – or in the case of baseball fans, a series, should go. The Wilmington Blue Rocks came into this week’s series with the Hub City Spartanburgers at 24-33. The Burgers came in 2 games over .500. Looking at the records alone would lead you to believe that this is a series Hub City should win with ease.
What records don’t tell you is the circumstances behind it. Wilmington plays in the North division – which we already know has much better teams in it than the South. In essence, you can throw the record out the window. They have lost a lot of games to teams within their own division. The opposite is true for the Spartanburgers. Hub City has won 30 games this season – most coming against teams in the South. Basically, if anywhere batting averages, ERAs, and records don’t tell you much, it is in High A Minor League Baseball.
Wilmington has more than shown they are a decent team. But one other thing is clearly true – after all multiple things can be factors and truthful at the same time when it comes to what the Burgers have been experiencing this week. The Spartanburgers are in a serious team slump. They are a decent team, but have a glaring issue – they cannot put together a complete game in all facets right now. When the offense has a good day, the defense or the pitching have a bad inning that does them in, and vice versa.
That is not an easy or a quick fix, often requiring just having the team play through it and try to figure things out for themselves. Hub City would take another crack at doing just that and trying to put it all together while subsequently avoiding being swept for the first time on Sunday afternoon, with Jose Gonzalez (1-5, 3.43 ERA) going against Wilmington’s Jake Bennett (0-1, 9.00).
As has been the trend this whole week save for Thursday, when Hub City blew a 5-1 lead in the ninth inning, Wilmington struck early. With one out in the top of the first, shortstop Cortland Lawson started a string of three straight base hits, the third of which came from a guy who has been a major thorn in the Burgers’ side this week – first baseman Branden Boisierre. That scored Lawson to give Wilmington a 1-0 lead before Hub City had an opportunity to bat.
After the Burgers were sat down in order in the bottom of the frame, the Blue Rocks added on in the 2nd. Third baseman Marcus Brown got the inning started with a double followed by a single from 2nd baseman Armando Cruz. Designated Hitter Gavin Dugas lifted a sacrifice fly to left to bring in Brown, making for a 2-0 advantage.
Gonzalez settled in nicely from there, pitching 5 more scoreless innings, eventually giving way to Josh Mollerus after 7 complete with 4 strikeouts, 7 hits, no walks, and 2 earned runs. Mollerus, who was the tough luck loss and blown save recipient in the 9th inning collapse on Thursday night, rebounded with just 1 earned run surrendered over the last 2 innings. In the top of the 8th, he surrendered three straight 1 out singles to Petersen, Lawson, and Catcher Caleb Lomavita – his scoring Pertersen to put the Rocks back up by 2 runs.
In the interim, the Spartanburgers’ offense struggled again, leaving the bases loaded in the bottom of the 3rd after Wilmington walked three. Hub City cut the deficit in half in the 4th, cashing in a Cal Stark leadoff single with a 2 out RBI single from Julian Brock. After that, they didn’t have another base runner until the 7th on a double from Yeison Morrobel. The Burgers left a runner on in the 8th after Dylan Dreiling reached on an error with 2 out.
The positive is that the Spartanburgers mustered together a big rally in the bottom of the ninth. Cal Stark led off with a single, but was erased on a 4-6-3 double play from Casey Cook. Yeison Morrobel then doubled to left and advanced on a wild pitch, later to score on the first of back to back to back infield singles from Julian Brock, pinch hitter Keith Jones II, and Luis Marquez. But, one run was as close as they could pull as Arturo Disla grounded out to 1st unassisted to end the game, the 3-2 defeat making for a 6-game sweep and the longest losing skid this season for Hub City, who is now 30-33.
The Spartanburgers will have a day to rest and reflect on Monday before starting a 6-game set on the road with the Bowling Green Hot Rods, who pending what happens between Greenville and Hudson Valley, may fall to 2nd in the standings.
The series kicks off Tuesday night at 7:35PM, with pitchers yet to be announced.
